In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 189 The Previous Federal Chief

Another cigarette's time,
Lu Zhao felt that his hair was no longer standing on end and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Old Tang is quite capable."

His request wasn't high; he just wanted Li Dongxue to give up on him, and for their friendship to remain unchanged over the years. Lu Zhao had always treated them as friends, and he hadn't crossed any lines all these years.

The current issue has never been about choosing who to choose.

Lin Zhiyan's marriage registration is a fait accompli. Lu Zhao could say that there was no real charade, but the die is cast, and he can't really go his separate ways.

We'll deal with the future later; at least for now, Lu Zhao won't let things get any more complicated.

This is a very simple and easy-to-understand principle.

But he shouldn't be the one to say it; an elder should be allowed to persuade him. If he says it to her face, she'll refuse; if Old Tang does it, it'll be seen as discouraging her from going.

Lu Zhao glanced around the room; everything seemed to have calmed down.

I'll have to send some cigarettes to Old Tang later; the cadre academy has specially supplied cigarettes.

On the other side, seeing that Li Dongxue had calmed down, Tang Fen continued, "Ah Zhao's situation can't be blamed on him. What did he do wrong? The Chen family and Chen Qian are the ones at fault."

Li Dongxue asked, "Where is Lin Zhiyan?"

"Her?" Tang Fen thought for a moment, but he didn't know the whole story either.

Lu Zhao simply and clearly stated that Lin Zhiyan had shown him great kindness and support.

There are so many ways to repay the kindness shown to him. His Xiaoxue has waited for so many years, how can he let someone else get there first?

Old Tang didn't know Lin Zhiyan, but he had watched Li Dongxue and Lu Zhao grow up, and in his mind, the two of them were a couple.

"She should be considered to have done a good job, but there's no right or wrong when it comes to feelings. She was just taking advantage of someone's kindness. Think about it, what kindness needs to be repaid with marriage? It's all just playing around."

Li Dongxue's brows relaxed slightly as she asked, "Uncle Tang, what does Lu Zhao think?"

"You know him too, he's the type who responds best to gentle persuasion but not to force. The reason the Chen family didn't work out back then was because they tried to force him. Even if he doesn't like someone, he'll put up with it after a while."

Tang Fen changed the subject, saying, "But you're not without a chance. Before things become a fait accompli, you can still try to win something."

Li Dongxue said, "Should I tell him later?"

Why are you in such a hurry, girl?

Tang Fen said, "If you tell him outright that you want to compete with Miss Lin, he will definitely stop you. If you don't say anything and agree to maintain the existing relationship, he will feel indebted to you."

Li Dongxue frowned and said, "Am I supposed to just stand by and watch him be humiliated by that rich kid?"

What do you mean by insult? It's like you're making that kid sound like he's suffering a lot.

Tang Fen really wanted to curse, but he had to keep the girl calm for now.

"Put yourself in her shoes. If you were to appear next to Ah Zhao as her childhood sweetheart, what would that Miss Lin think? She would definitely be unwilling."

Tang Fen analyzed for her, "Given the tempers of these second-generation rich kids, they'll definitely make a scene and force A-Zhao to sever ties with you. A-Zhao is a sentimental person who doesn't respond well to force, so she definitely won't agree."

“You haven’t crossed any boundaries. You’ve grown up together since you were little. How can you just break it off like that?”

"If the two of them start arguing, wouldn't that give you an opportunity? It's better than forcing Lu Zhao to choose and then gambling on the less than 50% chance, which might even ruin your friendship in the end, right?"

He didn't know Lin Zhiyan, but he knew Lu Zhao.

From the first day he entered the orphanage, he received attention from Tang Fen. Many biological fathers might not know their children as well as he does.

I also learned about Li Dongxue.

Like most children who grow up in orphanages, she lacked security and desperately longed for a family.

Li Dongxue's feelings for Lu Zhao started as youthful infatuation, but after six years of getting to know each other, they evolved into more like familial affection.

Like most long-married couples who eventually become a family, she now needs an identity to continue this kinship.

If Lu Zhao were any more ordinary-looking, there wouldn't have been so many problems. People should look for the reasons within themselves, not blame me for messing with you.

After pondering for a while, Li Dongxue nodded with some difficulty.

Thinking back on all the girls Lu Zhao rejected from junior high to high school, he was actually a little scared if he had to choose between them right now.

People always like to compromise.

After calming down, Li Dongxue began to consider another issue.

She might die if she inherits the Five Thunder Divine Power, and after her death, Lu Zhaohe, that shameless second-generation rich kid, won't be so bad.

At least Lin Zhiyan has connections, so Lu Zhao won't encounter the same kind of thing that happened to the Chen family again.

Before inheriting the Five Thunder Gods, Li Dongxue could accept the status quo.

After inheriting the Five Thunder Gods, she became a principle.

After figuring everything out, Li Dongxue realized that things weren't so bad; high-level superhumans could generally live past one hundred years old.

This is not about being a hundred years old at different stages; by the standards of ordinary people, they have had over a hundred years of 'youth'.

Life is long, there's no need to rush.

Tang Fen said, "Then it's settled, let's not cause any trouble for now."

Li Dongxue nodded: "Mm."

Tang Fen breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Don't worry, your uncle will definitely help you. Lu Zhao is also on your side."

"Thank you, Uncle Tang."

"Why are you being so polite with your uncle? I've had my eye on you two since you were kids. Don't worry, with Lu Zhao's bad temper, even the young lady might not be able to tolerate it, but you are."

After the matter was settled, Tang Fen called Lu Zhao back.

Seeing that Li Dongxue seemed to have calmed down, Lu Zhao asked, "Has everything been explained?"

Li Dongxue nodded and said, "It's all the Chen family's fault."

"As long as you understand."

Lu Zhao breathed a sigh of relief and said, "This is a mess for me, and I don't know what to do."

Li Dongxue asked, "Zhao, are you very unwilling?"

Lu Zhao smiled helplessly and said, "It's not that I'm unwilling. I received a favor from someone, and they made a request. Maybe the request wasn't like this at first, but it gradually changed."

"As long as I can climb the ladder and Miss Lin doesn't cause any trouble, I don't think it's a bad decision. Of course, if possible, I think it's better to be single, without so many constraints."

Zhao was blackmailed by the Lin family using their debt of gratitude as leverage.

Li Dongxue's eyes darkened slightly as she said, "My teacher is the commander of the Chishui Army Corps, a federal general. You can come to me for help with anything you encounter in the future."

Upon hearing this, both Tang Fen and Lu Zhao looked surprised.

Tang Fen remarked with emotion, "You two have both made something of yourselves. One is starting to rise to prominence, and the other has become a student of a general."

Many of those children began to show their talent.

The most outstanding among them was Lu Zhao, who broke free from his predicament and stood in the Daozheng Bureau building to deliver a speech as a representative of the military.

His speeches have spread throughout the federal government, and his name will one day be as famous as his speeches.

Li Dongxue is no less impressive. She is half a year younger than Lu Zhao, a 25-year-old senior colonel, and will be promoted to major general in two more years.

Although Li Dongxue didn't say it explicitly, Lu Zhao and Tang Fen could probably guess that she might have inherited some kind of supernatural power.

This is confidential, so they shouldn't ask too many questions.

Lu Zhao smiled and said, "Before I met Lin Zhiyan, I was actually planning to try my luck at the Chishui Army."

The speaker has no intention, the listener has the heart.

Lightning flashed in Li Dongxue's hair as she said with a forced smile, "Heh, how come there are so many superfluous people in the world?"

If Lin Erdai didn't exist, everything would be perfect today.

Lu Zhao sensed his childhood friend's immense negative emotions and quickly changed the subject, saying, "When are you free? Are you still in Cangwu for the New Year? Do you want to celebrate the New Year together? Old Tang and my family will be there too."

Upon hearing this, Li Dongxue's eyes brightened slightly, as if her mood had changed from gloomy to sunny, and she nodded twice in succession.

She said, "I haven't seen Xiaotong for many years. How is she now?"

Lu Zhao replied, "Still as mischievous as before."

As they chatted, they habitually squatted down at the entrance of the orphanage building, gazing at the old banyan tree in the open space and the distant dirt track. Everything familiar in their memories would grow old and worn. When Lu Zhao talked about the past years, he avoided the bitterness and pain, squeezing out the only bit of fun from it.

The school's mentor, the reinforced platoon at the border station.

Li Dongxue sat with her knees drawn up, tilting her head and looking at Lu Zhao with a smile on her lips, as if she were listening to a stand-up comedy routine.

By the end, Lu Zhao was getting sleepy.

He can only fall asleep in a truly comfortable environment, and a nursing home is undoubtedly one of them.

Lu Zhao yawned, stretched, and asked, "I have class tomorrow, so I'll head back today. See you on the weekend."

"Ah."

Li Dongxue drove Lu Zhao back to the cadre academy, and then the car lights disappeared into the night.

Lu Zhao looked at the gray sky, where not a single star could be seen, and the moon was just a faint shadow.

But he was undoubtedly in the best mood he had been in six years.

After years of unresolved issues, he successfully persuaded Li Dongxue to leave, and also preserved their six-year friendship.

Then Miss Lin's matter is easily resolved: if they get along, they can continue; if not, then so be it.

It would be even better if he could break up with Miss Lin peacefully in the future. To this day, he doesn't hate Miss Lin, but he wants to be a free wild horse.

The trend of autocratic rule is growing stronger in the federal government these days. If the federal chief executive can remain single, there's no reason why I can't.

Subduing dragons and tigers is certainly admirable, but the debt of gratitude owed is far too heavy.

Fate is both constant and impermanent.

Even a master can make mistakes.

Lu Zhao hummed a little tune as he walked back to his room, lay down on the bed, and quickly fell asleep.
-

January 20th.

In his second week at the cadre academy, Lu Zhao sat down in the classroom.

Gu Yun, who was in the back row, poked him with a ballpoint pen.

"how's it going?"

"What happened?"

"You mean you and that Colonel Li?"

"Stop being so gossipy, class is about to start."

"It won't kill me to just eat some melon seeds!"

At this moment, the old professor approached the classroom and, as always, distributed confidential documents, then wrote on the whiteboard:
[This discussion covers the importance of life-sustaining supplements, the influence of mega-corporations on the Federation, and the issue of black market smuggling.]

The issue has shifted from a problem of national system to a specific economic problem.

Lu Zhao was very interested in this topic; life supplements are a monetary anchor in today's society.

Especially after the collapse of the international community, the price of life-sustaining supplements skyrocketed. Last week, the professor mentioned that the currency used in trade between the federation and city-states was mostly life-sustaining supplements.

The Federation traded life supplements for various technologies from before the Great Cataclysm, and even life bones from outside China for research.

This vital life-sustaining supplement is produced by major wineries.

Although they are all state-owned enterprises, their fundamental nature remains unchanged.

In Lu Zhao's view, this system was very unhealthy, especially since he had suffered from substandard life supplements and had a very bad impression of these giant companies.

Last November, Lu Zhao took advantage of his free time to specifically investigate the winery.

These giant companies seem to have disappeared from the public eye, with almost no negative or positive news about them.

And there is very little information about it in the federal internal database.

An industry that controls a large amount of wealth cannot be without negative news.

Lu Zhao picked up the documents that had been handed to him, glanced at them briefly, and immediately perked up.

It contains scandals about corruption in some wineries.

[...In cases of life supplement smuggling uncovered within the federal government, substantial evidence suggests deep involvement of distillery employees in the illicit distribution process. Preliminary assessments indicate that a very high percentage of cases involve distillery personnel, potentially reaching approximately half.]

The professor on stage bluntly stated, "The lack of internal supervision within the distillery and the involvement of staff in smuggling are the main reasons for the rampant black market for life supplements."

"This is also the topic we are discussing today, and it may provide some ideas for a student in the future to help the Federation solve this problem."

"Here I would like to ask a special student to answer our questions, Feng Peng."

Feng Peng, a middle-aged man with graying hair, is at the third stage of life development and holds the highest official position in the advanced training class.

A prefectural-level official, one rank higher than Zhao De.

I don't know the specific department, but if it's not a core department, then its value is not as high as that of the municipal executive department.

Feng Peng slightly raised his right hand and said, "Professor, isn't this topic a bit sensitive?"

The professor replied, "We can discuss other cases, such as the Jinghu Dao. If you are willing to answer the questions for the students, I can give you an excellent grade for your advanced studies."

"Our cadre academy is dedicated to analyzing federal issues. Everything we say and do here will not be recorded or leaked."

Upon hearing this, Feng Peng thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Okay."

He then provided an in-depth analysis and explanation of the current federal life support system for everyone present, covering everything from production to distribution.

The Federation sets production targets for each distillery, specifying the amount of various life-sustaining supplements each distillery can produce. Distilleries can purchase their own grains, either directly from local governments or directly from the Federation.

Half of the life supplements produced are handed over to the Federation, while the other half can be sold to official units.

Lu Zhao could roughly guess which department Feng Peng belonged to.

The Life Supplements Planning and Management Division is one of the three core departments.

At the county and provincial level, the three departments with the most power are the Provincial Administration Bureau, the Human Resources and Social Security Administration, and the Life Supply Management Administration.

The second tier then consists of regulation, law, and public security.

The Life Supplement Management Office is the head of a distribution system and wields immense power.

The others in the classroom also vaguely sensed that Feng Peng was unusual, and their gazes became somewhat eager.

Feng Peng summarized: "The smuggling of life supplements is not an isolated issue. If the manager of the winery area does not engage in illegal operations, then his performance will not meet the standards."

"The federal fire loss standard is too low, less than 5%. Those involved have to rely on the black market to make up for the losses."

Upon hearing this, the crowd began to whisper among themselves.

Lu Zhao looked thoughtful, feeling that something was off about the statement.

Suddenly, Gu Yun, who was sitting in the back row, spoke up: "Life supplements don't have high requirements for storage conditions. Before the cataclysm, it was 1%, and there weren't any major problems for decades. Why was it changed to 5%? Why is the smuggling problem getting more and more serious?"

Feng Peng replied, "The overall environment is different. Before the cataclysm, the production capacity of life supplements was less than 30% of what it is now, not to mention that new products are released every year."

Gu Yun shook her head and said, "Your words cannot explain why the smuggling problem is getting more and more serious. It's too easy to get an award this way."

Everyone else present immediately felt a deep respect for Gu Yun.

Even a big shot like Feng Peng from a core department dares to stand up to them.

Although we are all classmates now, after a month of advanced studies, we will all enter the officialdom of Cangwu in March.

Feng Peng must be the highest-ranking, and may become the direct superior of some of them.

The old professor stood on the stage, smiling as always, with no intention of easing the tension.

He asked, "Gu, what do you think is the root cause?"

"The root cause is the problem left behind by the previous Chief of the Martial Virtue Hall, Gongyang Boheng. The huge interest group he left behind still entrenched within the entire Federation."

"He set the 5% fire loss limit. His son is still a standing director of the Federal Life Supplement Committee, and his family still holds shares in many wineries."

Gu Yun's voice wasn't loud, but it echoed in the classroom, leaving everyone somewhat stunned.

This is not something I feel comfortable saying.

Lu Zhao turned around and looked at the somewhat disheveled girl, and for a moment he was quite impressed.

(End of this chapter)